A West Hampstead man is battling in two courts to deny charges that he stole almost £10,000 from a printer cartridge company.

David Pentecost denies three counts of fraud and is set to defend himself at trial in crown court later this year.

But he is also embroiled in a High Court battle to disprove claims that he was a director of Dog Inc Ltd. He is accused of defrauding the firm of £9,811.95 as a company director between September 2009 and January 2012.

The 65-year-old appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrates on Tuesday to face the charges.

A prosecutor, who would only give her name as Ms Benjamin, said: “Mr Pentecost seems to have been employed as an accountant.

“He seems to have been submitting invoices which appear to be fraudulent in that no work was undertaken in relation to them, or the expenses which he claimed are not valid expenses.”

The 65-year-old, from Brassey Road, faces three counts of fraud by abuse of position.

It is said that while a director of Dog Inc Ltd, he siphoned £5,298.55 from the Wembley-based company, dishonestly claimed £1,500 from the company as fees for bookkeeping and dishonestly invoiced for £3,003.40 for congestion zone fees, mileage expenses and parking fees to which he was not entitled.

Defence solicitor John Howey said that Pentecost is involved in a case at High Court, claiming he was merely an employee of the company rather than a company director.

The court denied jurisdiction of the case and Pentecost did not enter a plea.

He was ordered to return to magistrates court on March 19 when he is expected to be sent for trial.

If you value what this story gives you, please consider supporting the Ham&High. Click the link in the yellow box below for details.

This newspaper has been a central part of community life for many years, through good times and bad, serving as your advocate and trusted source of local information. Our industry is facing testing times, which is why I’m asking for your support. Every single contribution will help us continue to produce award-winning local journalism that makes a measurable difference to our community.